All for the Truth
by NightFall1022
Summary: A strange occurance starts a chain of events that will leave him wondering, what is true, and what isn't please review
1. Chapter 1

**People come, people go, like the wheel of time, it is just a way of life. Some would come back, others will wait…wait, yet never return. But all will dwell in your mind, your heart. It is something a thief can steal; something time can't decay, memories you can't forget…**

_The wind blows…_

"Holding out okay lil' squirt?" cried out seemingly from nowhere. The rustling of the wind caught onto the figure's cloak, perfectly camouflaging with the surrounding sand, revealing a pair of cool, blue eyes, the only evidence that something alive was stalking through the blazing Sograt desert.

"I AM NOT A SQUIRT!" scolded another cloaked figure, which another gust of dry desert air revealed. This figure was shorter than the first. Wrapped around by a ragged thief clothe, covering him from head to toe, in the slim chance of blocking out the million grains of sand.

The taller figure laughed, "Sure punk, now that…" the voice was muffled by the sound of a sudden strange burst of wind…

**People arrive unwelcomed, without a greeting; but no one leaves without a sign, without wanting you to tell them to stay. Though the sound of laugher slowly fades away, the face of the one that made it, will live on. **

_The sky darkens_…

*cough, cough* the air is getting thicker!" complained the shorter figure, now noticeable with his emerald green eyes, as he took off his hood to secure on a gangster mask over his face.

"Told you, you would whine, no one told you to come. We're still pretty close to Morroc if you want, you can still turn back anytime you want to," muttered the other figure, as he tried to breathe between the gusts of sand as they continued to beat against the shrouded men.

"I'm not going back, I don't need you to worry about me," _Not this time, not ever again! _He thought to himself.

_The wind picked up…_

"cough, cough. Just getting a little stuffy that's all. I'm coming with you to…" A huge squeak that could be heard thundering further ahead of them interrupted the conversation. "What the heck was…." He couldn't finish his sentence before the two men flew backwards and landed heavily into a dune of sand.

"Damn," the taller figure said as he stood up with lightening speed. Within seconds he pulled back his cloak, revealing two hidden daggers and was ready to fight. "Who would have thought?!"

The shorter figure struggled to stand up, struggling against the increasing wind. "What's happening?" He managed to croak out as he got up on his knees.

The other figure looked behind him, as he stares at his companion struggling to stand up. Slowly desperation crossed his face, when he turned back again, he made up his mind. "I'm sorry…" with that he turned on spot and disappeared…nothing…was left.

The shorter boy looked up in amazement, staring at the blank spot where once his only friend stood seconds before…The air around him got heavier, blocking all his senses. Though his eyes were clouded and dried from the desert heat, tears started to fill up. The air got heavier and heavier it got, until it was suffocating.

_I can't cry…one last thing I could do for him…_ The boy laid there, his final drive died inside him as he tried to forget how he got here. He was going to die here…alone with only the howling sounds of the desert winds acting as a lament for his final moments of life. He couldn't breathe anymore, he knew death was coming close…then darkness took over.

"Brother! Where are you!" yelled a child of no more than 3, carrying with him the first novice dagger his dad crafted for him for his 3rd birthday.

**Do you hate someone…hating them for ever saying hi to you, then leaving without a word, leaving you somehow worse than before? Did you ever hate someone…for making you love them…? This is the worst kind…**

His dad was the one of the only blacksmiths of the town of Amatsu, everyone comes to him for help, so he isn't home most of the time. Lately he has been away from home more than usual; he didn't really know that much about his dad. He couldn't even pronounce his dad's name. Ray-ney-guh? Rei-nah-guh? So he just stuck to calling him daddy.

"Big brother!" the little child yelled at the top of his lungs, sniffling a little as he wandered around Amatsu, looking for his brother. He was a strong boy, his brother said he was. When his brother told him not to cry, when the village boy threw sand at him, he stopped immediately. His brother was his idol; yes, he trusted his brother, so when he told him to quietly sit at the docks, he obeyed. His brother just needed to go back to the house to pick up something. But the docks were boring, he watched the men carry loads off the ships, then the same men putting things back onto the ships. He thought this was stupid. Anyways he grew up here, never minding only for three years, but he knew his way back home, so why wait for his brother, he will just go find him.

Or so he thought…

"Brother!" he cried again as he fruitlessly searched for his brother. He knew better than to cry, his brother would not approve of it. "Brotherrahhhh!!" he screamed as he tripped over the new pair of pants his mother made for him. "Ah no! it ripped…" yelled the boy in frustration, he slowly picked himself up.

"Jagen!" someone yelled as the boy turned around as he recognized that someone called his name.

"Brother!" he yelled as he started running towards his brother. "I'm sorry, I ripped the pants mommy gave me…" he started to tear up.

"Jegan don't cry. What did I tell you? You're going to grow up as a strong man; you have to protect the family. I'm sure mother won't…mind" Jegan's brother said in a gloomy way. Jegan didn't notice the pause. In fact, he was saying to himself, "I told you so, brother is disappointed that I was crying!" He found it amusing, since he was only crying in seeing his brother again. Jegan smiled at the thought of this.

Jegan's brother smiled back, a longing smile. A smile that one has when you broke your mom's favourite vase and your mom came home with your early birthday present. When your best friend talk to you about their love life, but you know their a secret they don't, which would devastate them. A smile that conceals a deep…deep secret.

Jegan didn't notice this. He just saw his favourite brother smiling down at him…

_10 years later…_

A small movement shifted the midnight desert sands…

_I can't die… _


	2. Chapter 2

_Where am I? _But he doesn't know…

_How long have I been lying here?_ But he couldn't tell…

_Why am I still alive?...He heard a quiet voice inside his head…_

"_Jegan don't cry. What did I tell you? You're going to grow up as a strong man; you have to protect the family."_

_That's right. He had to live on. For his brother, for his family's honour; he had to go on living. _

The small figure that could be seen lying on the floor tried to stand up, but no matter what Jegan couldn't find the strength in his legs. Even though the wind has died along with his brother's figure, he still could hardly breathe.

Jegan tried looking around at his surrounding, but couldn't see anything, everything was pitch black. Was he going blind?

**No he isn't blind, in fact it was because of the pitch black desert night that saved his life. He would never have survived in the blazing hot daytime. Soon his eyes started to adjust to the darkness, and he felt more at ease now. **

Then he saw it, a strange bulge in the sand a couple of feet to his left. Could it be? He used the last of his strength to crawl to that spot and started digging. He couldn't feel the sharp rocks that dug into his skin that he has to remove in order to reach the item underneath; he was too concentrated in the task at hand.

When he felt the leather straps of his backpack he was exhilarated. He knew he had an emergency orange potion somewhere in there. Nothing for like his present situation, but it had to do.

As the potion circulated through his body, he slowly felt his body regaining the strength he had before.

Next on his list, he has to find shelter; it wasn't going to be night forever, especially not in the desert where nighttime only lasts for 6 hours.

Slowly standing up, Jegan started his desperate hike to find shelter before daybreak…little did he know it'll bring him out of the frying pan and into the fire…

Deep under the Sograt Desert, thousands of tunnels twists and turns to form a huge underground maze. Not many know about when or why it was first created, but many parties have tried to venture into its secrets.

Some say, that a treasure unlike any that has ever been seen in the world is located within the deepest parts of the tunnel's caverns. Legends have it that a monster lay dormant beside the treasure awaking only to guard it with its life. With the figure of a beautiful woman and the body of a huge ant, she may look harmless from far away, but close enough and this monster can bring the strongest adventurer to their knees. They call this monster, Maya.

Where these legends come from, I have no idea, for no one that ventures inside further than the first level has ever come back out alive. In place of adventurers lie bloody bodies that will mysteriously appear at the entrance after a week.

They call this place, and relatively accurately named due to its residents…

Ant Hell

FF_1575130_20386819212


End file.
